Defining Moments
by LysCat
Summary: A short, holiday Elejah work of fiction. Some of the most defining moments occurred during the holidays, why not keep with the tradition?


Title: Defining Moments  
Author: Alysia  
Couple: Elejah  
Summary: This is completely AU as there are no vampires. A short Christmas story focusing on Elena and Elijah.  
Author's Note: So I know it's been a while. I have no excuses, but I was compelled to write this when Eva posted a beautiful picture on facebook. Anything written in italics is a flashback.  
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to TVD or TO.

~Eva, this one is dedicated to you!

" _Elena, you know you don't have to be here, right?" Jenna Summers asked, heading in the direction of her niece. "If you want to bail like Jeremy did, I will completely understand."_

 _Elena Gilbert shook her head. "I don't mind," she excused. She had nothing better to do. She had exactly one friend, and she didn't even know if the word 'friend' was the best way to describe their relationship. They spoke in school and usually partnered up for studying, but they'd never hung out outside of school hours._

 _Jenna smiled sadly. When she thought back to her own high school years and all the friends she associated with and the parties she went to, Jenna couldn't help but feel that Elena was missing out on those experiences. Instead of going out with friends, Elena was more of a homebody. And other than Bonnie Bennett's name, she'd never heard Elena mention anyone. "I know you don't mind, but you should be out having fun, not being forced to spend time with so many adults."_

" _You mean like head to a party where the most obnoxious people are even more loud and flamboyant?" Elena was unable to hide the roll of her eyes. "I can hardly stand most of those people on a good day and you expect me to associate with them outside of it?"_

" _I just can't help but feel that you're missing out on stuff. High school was this great experience for me." Before the accident, she was 'cool aunt Jenna.' It was a far cry from being the legal guardian of her teenaged niece and nephew._

" _But it isn't for me," Elena denied softly. "And if my parents were still alive, I'd probably be the same way." She and Caroline Forbes had a falling out the summer before they started high school, and that was that. Whatever mutual friends the two shared had chosen Caroline's side and Elena was left alone. It had been an adjustment that first year, but she'd gotten used to it. She liked being alone, and dealing with adults was so much easier than playing to high school politics._

 _Her gaze shifted around the room before stopping on Alaric Saltzman and the guy standing with him. "Who is that with Ric? I haven't seen him before."_

 _Jenna followed her gaze. "Elijah Mikaelson. He just moved into the apartment next to Ric. Single, just received his real estate license." When she noticed that Elena hadn't pulled her attention from him, she smirked. "He's cute, isn't he? If Ric and I weren't together, I'd be doing what I could to get to know him better."_

 _He really was a very attractive man, even with the hint of a 5 o'clock shadow, she found him beautiful. Elena disregarded Jenna's last sentence. Something about him made Elena think that even if there wasn't a Ric, Elijah would never look twice at her aunt. Watching him from afar, he was very personable and easy-going, but something told her that he was very aware of his appeal. He was certainly in another league from her…obvious age difference aside, he never would have looked twice at her._

 _When Ric and Elijah approached the pair of them, Ric leaned in and greeted Jenna with a quick kiss and nodded at Elena. "How are you, Elena?"_

" _Good," she replied softly. A feeling of self-consciousness settled over her, and she forced herself not to play with her hair like she was tempted to do._

" _Elijah, this is Jenna's niece, Elena. She's also one of my students."_

 _Elena offered the new acquaintance a strained smile. He nodded at her quickly before turning his attention back to Ric and Jenna. She stood quietly as the three began talking, her focus on Elijah when he wasn't looking in her direction. Behind him, she noticed several women looking in their direction, no doubt interested in the new man in town._

" _We should probably mingle," Ric said after a moment, pulling Elena's attention back to the conversation at hand. "I told Elijah I would introduce him around."_

 _Making an excuse to the small group, Elena turned away. Maybe this would be the perfect time to sneak away…_

" _Elena."_

 _Was he actually looking at her? Pushing her hair behind her ears, she looked up at Elijah. "It was nice to meet you."_

" _Likewise," he replied gently. Stepping closer to her, he leaned towards her and placed a kiss on her cheek._

 _Instantly, her cheeks heated in embarrassment and her heart began to pound. "Ummm…"_

 _Elijah smiled easily. He pointed towards the doorframe she was standing under. "Mistletoe," he explained. "I hope you don't think me some lecherous old man that kisses unsuspecting teenagers."_

 _Her cheeks continued to burn with embarrassment, as she tried to laugh off his words. "I would hope not, otherwise, your admirers would be greatly disappointed." With one final goodbye, she turned away from the group._

Shaking her thoughts free from the memory, Elena turned back to the tri-level serving dish she was filling. When she finished arranging the cookies, she moved onto more preparations.

"Did you need any help?"

Looking up at her boyfriend, she shrugged. "I don't know." Could she use the help? Sure? However, would he actually help or would it be more of a hindrance? "Can you cut up the cheese without eating all of it?"

He chuckled at her. "Maybe," he admitted in a joking manner. "It will be very difficult though."

"You're such a brat sometimes," she snarked.

"You love me."

"I do," she replied seriously. "Sometimes I just have to remind myself why."

He put down the knife he'd grabbed to cut up the cheese before making his way towards her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pushed his body flush against her backside. "I'm a moderately successful individual that is mildly attractive. However, what I lack in looks, I make up for with magic fingers and the ability to give you multiple orgasms."

Nibbling her bottom lip, Elena tried her hardest not to smile in response to his words. "My dildo also has the ability to produce multiple orgasms," she shot back. "Now, back to business. There's still plenty to do, I know Jenna said she'd help, but I don't want her going out of her way."

Spinning her around, he placed his arms on each side of her body, trapping her where she was. "Did you really just compare me to a dildo?" He trailed kisses down her neck, nipping as he did so. "Because if that's the case, then I think I may have to prove a point…"

"Elijah…" She could hear the pleading in her voice and she didn't know if it was for him to stop or continue on. Either way, it didn't stop her from tilting her head to grant him more access to her neck. "The food…it would be highly unsanitary."

He hummed against her. Raising an arm, he placed a hand at the back of her head and claimed her lips in a bruising kiss. "You didn't say that this morning, when we started on the counter or when I bent you over the table…"

Damn her traitorous body! How could he get her going with just a simple sentence? "But I don't have time to clean the kitchen again," Elena denied weakly. She pulled away from him, but instead of turning back to the project at hand, she stared at him.

" _I had such a crush on you," Elena confessed. After Jenna's annual Christmas party ended, only a few people lingered. The alcohol had been flowing freely all night, and though Elena had already switched to water in an effort to hydrate herself, she was still feeling brave. Hence, the reason for her admission._

" _I had no idea." And he really hadn't, not that he was looking at her with any interest at the time. She'd been nothing more than a girl then, and so completely not on his radar. During the sporadic events when they were thrown together, he neither sought her out or ignored her. She just…was._

 _She shrugged. "What can I say? You made one hell of a first impression." Thinking back on the mistletoe kiss, she giggled. "I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest."_

 _He chuckled along with her. "You were never obvious in…anything."_

" _That's because I never diluted myself into thinking that I stood any sort of chance. My quietness didn't give it away? I could hardly look at you without feeling tongue tied."_

 _He shook his head. "I just thought that you were forced to be there and your quietness was a sign that you were bored out of your mind."_

" _No, you just made me nervous."_

 _Adjusting his position on the couch, he turned towards her. "Do I make you nervous now?"_

 _She quickly shook her head. "No. I've grown up since then." She'd had her fair share of romances in college. Elena still found him incredibly attractive, but she figured she was better able to deal with it._

" _Yes, I noticed."_

 _The words were muttered, but she heard them all the same. Perhaps she wasn't the only still feeling the effects from the alcohol… "Did you now?" She knew she looked different, she'd finally grown into herself. Where she was once awkward and unsure of herself, Elena had matured. Her first sexual experience had awakened a part of herself that she didn't even know had existed. She embraced her sexuality and her attributes._

 _Maneuvering on the couch, she turned towards him. "Maybe tonight would could get to know each other a little better?"_

 _She didn't outright proposition him, and he knew her words could be taken in several ways, but there was no mistaking her intent. "I don't think that's a wise idea," he denied. "We've both had too much to drink to think clearly."_

" _I'm thinking just fine," Elena denied. "I've had a crush on you for years now and I'm no longer jailbait," she finished, moving closer to him._

" _You're Ric's niece…"_

" _Only by marriage. And I don't know if you're aware of this, but there was a significant age difference between my mom and my aunt. Jenna and Ric aren't that much older than me." She tilted her head to the side. "And neither are you, for that matter," she tacked on, sure that was going to be his next denial._

" _You're twenty-two."_

 _She was aware of her age. "You know, most available men would jump at the change to fuck a ready and willing twenty-two-year-old."_

" _Is that what you are? Ready and willing?"_

" _What I know is that we are both single and attracted to the other person. I understand that there is an age difference between us, I'm not proposing marriage here. I'm proposing that we spend the night together."_

" _I'm going to go to hell for this," Elijah muttered, but made no move to pull away when Elena turned into his side._

 _Leaning up, she began to kiss his neck. "Why don't we head upstairs to my room and break my bed in?"_

"What?" Elijah asked, curious about her stare.

"Nothing," she denied, her mouth twisting. "I…was just…thinking about our first night together. If you behave right now and let me finish getting this party set up, you can do whatever you want to me later tonight."

"Whatever, I want, huh?" He leaned in and captured her mouth once more. "Imagine the possibilities." He moved away from her before turning back to the block of cheese he'd originally stood over. "You have a deal, Miss Gilbert." As he began his task, he looked across the room at her. He was overcome with the domesticity of their situation. "That night…did you ever think that we would end up in this position?"

Elena shrugged. "I meant it that night when I said that all I was after was one night." She'd still had six months of college to get through and she hadn't intended on moving back to Mystic Falls anytime soon. When she returned to school after that break, she'd met Damon Salvatore and they became fairly serious very quickly. When graduation came, she and Damon got an apartment in New York. By that time, her night with Elijah was nothing more than a fond memory.

"Do you want to get married?" He waited in silence as he appeared to mull over the question. "I know that you were pretty serious with…before you moved back to Mystic Falls." Based on that, he knew she wasn't opposed to the institution itself.

Elena frowned. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "I thought that Damon and I were…" They'd reached a point in their relationship where she had expected a proposal any day. And then she'd discovered that he was cheating on her. After her break up with Damon, she'd sworn off men for a year before relocating to Mystic Falls. By the time that she and Elijah started dating, she'd insisted on keeping it casual. They'd been seeing one another for six months before she'd even spent the night at his place.

"You know that I'm not Damon, right? That I would never do to you what he did…"

She frowned before turning to face him. "I'm very aware of that. If you were, we wouldn't be together. Is…you want to get married?"

"I do. Do me a favor. Close your eyes."

"What?" Why was he asking her to close her eyes? "Elijah, we have to finish getting this ready and I still need to shower and change. I-"

"Humor me," he pleaded softly. "Just…close your eyes." He waited until she did what he asked. "Think about the future. You live in the same town that you grew up in…possibly the same house." Jenna had only been living there until Elena was able to legally take possession of it. Once she had, Jenna and Ric moved into their own house three blocks away. "Maybe a different house," he allowed, not sure if Elena even intended to keep the house she'd grown up in. "You publish your book and become a household name. You're surrounded by family and friends and when you look at the person next to you…your partner. Who is it you see?"

From the moment that she'd closed her eyes, she listened as he shuffled closer to her. She tried to envision her future, achieving her dream and becoming a famous author. She thought about future holidays, the people that would crowd around her table. Her brother, Jeremy, Jenna, Ric…and Elijah. Elijah was by her side in every possible scenario she imagined.

"You see me. I know that, because when I think about my future, I see you," he confessed. "I see you…looking radiant in a white gown as you tie your life to mine. I see children and pets and a life that maybe isn't glamorous, but one that is ours." Fishing the trinket out of his pocket, he grabbed her hand.

Elena's eyes opened when he grasped her left hand. The sight that greeted her left her speechless. "Elijah…"

"I love you," he declared. "I have loved you since the night you first agreed to stay the night with me. I know that you were burned in the past, but your decision that night…you gave into me. You placed your trust in me that I wouldn't break your heart, and I didn't. I never will. Elena Gilbert, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Of course, I will!" She threw herself into his arms as she kissed him.

Setting her down on her feet, he pushed the ring onto her finger. "I was thinking about a December wedding. This gives us a year to plan."

"Just exactly how long have you been thinking about this?" Elena asked.

"A December wedding seems fitting. Some of the most defining moments of our past occurred during the holidays, it just seems right to continue on the tradition."


End file.
